


Everyone Needs A New Beginning

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Adopted Daughter, F/M, Family, Major Character Injury, New Beginnings, Parenthood, Sacrifice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2013-01-01
Packaged: 2017-11-23 03:24:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/617534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Raven finds Aries defending herself against a mysterious thug, its a given she's impressed. She's even more dumbstruck when she sees Aries is a 6 year old girl. Raven knows at that moment, she will protect Aries like her own child. Sometimes, that maternal side is unstoppable - and it leads you down a different road in life you'd never think you'd go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Newest Titan

**Author's Note:**

> This is set after season 5 (and after Trouble In Tokyo). the only reason that's important is because she'd shows a more maternal side during the episode Hide and Seek (one of my fave episodes ever!!!). please enjoy!

“Get back! I don't want to hurt you!” a scared voice demanded from the dark alley. Raven's head turned to the direction of the sound. Night had fallen hours ago and slowly the stars came out over head. Raven liked the night.

When all she was brought up on was darkness and foreboding, night was comforting. It was comforting because no matter what, you would always have day after night. Dawn always came, no matter how long it stayed dark. And Raven needed that comfort. She walked at night regularly, without telling her teammates. It wasn't personal; its just Robin would worry, Starfire wouldn't understand, Beast Boy would make fun of her, and Cyborg would become all over protective. He was always protective of her and Starfire. Maybe he had younger sisters too before he became a Titan. No one ever asked about his past. No one found a reason to. 

"Hahaha. You think I'm afraid of you. Do you really think I'm afraid of a defenceless young girl like you? Pathetic. Hahaha." A rough, older voice replied, cruel laughter breaking his speech. 

"I'm warning you; stay away from me." the younger voice repeated. Intrigued, Raven moved closer to the scene, remembering to keep her presence unknown. 

"You want to do this the hard way? Alright, fine by me." The second voice said. Distantly, Raven saw a large silhouette lunge towards the form of a smaller person. Matter formed around Ravens closed fist but her eyes widened in shock when she saw the younger person shoot a bright white beam into the air. The figure reeled back; covering his eyes and fell against the wall behind him. 

"I warned you." the younger voice said angrily, aiming an open palm at the man. Instead of a beam of light (like Starfire's starbolts) a white stream erupted from the persons palm and it swirled towards the rougher thug. It spun around him, encasing him with the pure _energy._  

"Let me go!" the rougher voice shouted in shock, struggling violently. The young super-being released the thug and he skittered away, nearly crashing into Raven from his fright. Slowly, Raven stepped into the light. What she saw surprised her slightly. The person, who had successfully fought off the thug, was just a small girl. Maybe 5 or 6 years old. She had vibrant green eyes and incredibly pale blonde hair; it almost glowed in the half light. 

"Hello." Raven said softly, not wanting to frighten the young girl. 

"Who are you? What do you want with me?" the girl demanded, pointing an arm at Raven. In response, Raven slowly lowered her hood and crouched down so she was level with the young girl. 

"It’s okay. My names Raven, I'm one of the Teen Titans. I saw you fight off that man, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Raven explained, keeping her voice soft. Since she'd babysat the three toddlers during the Brotherhood of Evil fiasco, her skills of dealing with young children improved greatly. 

"I'm fine, I don't need any help." the young girl replied defiantly, clutching her arm to her chest. A small red trail was just visible from between her fingers. 

"Are you hurt?" Raven asked, taking the girls arm in her hand. At her touch, the girl calmed slightly, but she still remained wary. 

"What are you doing?" she demanded, keeping an eye on Raven. 

"I’m healing you." Raven answered simply. The air around her free hand pulsed slightly and Raven held her palm over the small cut. When she took her hand away, the young girls eyes widened in shock. Her arm was completely healed. 

"How did you do that?" she asked in excitement. 

"I can heal empathetically. It means I take the pain off other people so they feel better." Raven explained, smiling at the girl’s innocent expression. "What’s you name?" 

"Aries. Like the constellation." the small girl replied, looking at Raven with newfound respect. 

"Okay Aries, what are you doing out so late?" Raven knelt to the ground, because her legs were starting to ache from just crouching. "Shouldn't you be at home with your mum and dad?" 

"I can’t go home. I can’t! And you can’t make me!" Aries exclaimed suddenly, taking a small step away from Raven. 

"It’s okay. I won’t make you go home." Raven reassured the small girl. “At least, I need to make sure you’re cared for. We need to go to the police station, just for a few hours, to make sure you’ve got a place to stay. Is that okay?” Raven inquired, standing up. She extended her hand kindly and Aries looked up at her wearily. 

"You won’t make me go home?" Aries asked, just to be sure. 

"Not if you don’t want to, I just want to make sure you're safe." Raven reassured the young girl. Satisfied with her answers, Aries reached up and took Raven's hand. A small smile playing on her lips, Raven pulled her hood up and led Aries to the police station. The officer behind the desk looked surprised to see Raven at that hour, and he didn’t attempt to hide it.

“Hello ma’am, what are you doing out at this hour?” he questioned, sticking to the policy of not calling Raven by her name.

“I just came across this young girl, fighting off a man with intentions to attack her,” she paused to give the man a look which said ‘I dealt with it’. He swallowed and gestured for her to carry on. “She has informed me that her home isn’t where she seems safe. I wanted to make sure that Aries has a home.” Raven concluded, looking at Aries fondly. The young girl was looking around the bleak room in wonder.

“Um, okay. I can contact the local foster homes, see if they have any space for _Ariel_?” the man said, timidly seeing if that was her name.

“Aries.” Raven corrected, slightly irritated. The small girl responded to her name and stood beside Raven, trying to look over the counter. “And I don’t think the foster home will be necessary.” Raven added, picking Aries up and perching her on the counter.

“You want to become her guardian?” The officer questioned, his expression a mask of surprise. Raven nodded.

“Aries will be classed as my ward, at least for the foreseeable future.” Raven clarified, scowling ever so slightly at the surprise of the police officer.

“Alright, I’ll get the necessary paperwork. You two just stay here.” He said, disappearing into the back room.

 

A few hours later, after a lot of negotiating and paperwork, Raven and Aries stepped out of the police stations door. Bitter wind greeted them and Raven took Aries’ hand. She led Aries towards Titan Tower, strangely content.

"Why do you wear a cloak?" Aries inquired quietly as they approached the front door of the Tower.  

"To keep my identity secret." Raven answered, laying her palm on a small, flat surface by the door. 

"But you told me who you are." Aries continued, allowing her to be directed up to a large, spacious living area. 

"But the bad guys don't know what I really look like, so they can’t get me if I'm just out walking." Raven clarified, lifting Aries up onto the kitchen counter. "Hungry?"

"A little bit." Aries admitted. Raven smiled again and ducked down to grab an apple from the fridge. 

"Will this do?" she asked, giving the young girl the piece of fruit. Nodding vigorously, Aries wasted no time in demolishing the apple. Raven took the core off her and placed it in the bin. 

"Thank you." Aries said, hiccupping slightly. Raven laughed at the innocence of the little girls hiccup. At that moment, Cyborg walked up to the door and stopped dead in shock. 

"Raven?" he called out, opening the door. Aries tensed up and pulled Raven's cloak in front of her as Cyborg stepped towards his teammate. 

"Yes."

"Raven, what are you doing up so late, and were you _laughing_?" he asked, adding stress on the last word. 

"I went for a walk." Raven replied, looking at the half-cybernetic boy she knew so well. 

"At this hour, by yourself?!" he continued, being overly dramatic. Aries peeked at Cyborg from behind Raven's cloak and giggled slightly at his dramatic performance. Cyborg's attention flickered to the small girl and he looked back at Raven, silently demanding an explanation. Raven sighed and pulled her hood down again. 

"Cyborg, this is Aries. Out on my walk, I saw a thug try and attack her but she fought him off and I took her to the police station and now I am officially her guardian because she didn’t have a suitable home." Raven explained briefly, lifting Aries off the counter and balancing her on her hip. Cyborg's eye widened comically as he took in the mothering nature Raven was displaying. 

"Umm. Okay. Nice to meet you Aries." he said, still unsure of the situation. Suddenly, he looked around suspiciously, checking the door. "Beast Boy, is this a prank?" Cyborg exclaimed, giving Raven a funny look. Aries giggled again and she covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"You're funny." Aries said in a small voice, clinging on to Raven when Cyborg smiled at her. 

"At least someone around here appreciates me." Cyborg replied, looking at the way Aries had complete trust and faith in Raven's protective hold. He looked back at Raven and jolted when he saw her smiling at the blonde haired little girl. 

"No offence Raven, but why are you her guardian? Why isn’t she at a foster home or something?" Cyborg asked, leaning in towards Raven so Aries couldn't hear. 

"She refused to go home." Raven replied, hissing her words. "And anyway, she has powers. I thought she’d be safer, and better trained, if she was with the Titans."

"Then maybe we should wake the team." Cy suggested, looking over the two girls. 

"I have a feeling we don't need to." Raven said, nodding to the door. Three familiar faces walked in, and stopped in their tracks as they took in the scene. 

"Err, hi guys." Cyborg said happily, waving his hand slightly. 

"Aries, these are the Teen Titans - Starfire, Robin and Beast Boy. Teen Titans, meet Aries." Raven said, turning towards the small crowd so they could clearly see the small child perched on her hip. Aries smiled shyly and buried herself in Raven's side. 

"Maybe you should explain this Raven..." Robin suggested, walking over slowly. 

 

"... So when I got the all clear, I brought her back here." Raven concluded, shifting the weight on her hip higher up so they were more comfortable. 

"Wait, she took down the bad guy, _with her own powers_? And no help from you?" Beast Boy asked, looking at the small girl curiously. 

"Yes. She used this white energy stuff." Raven clarified, absent-mindedly rocking Aries slightly. 

"Raven," Aries said in a small, tired voice. "Will you send me back home?" she asked, leaning back in Raven's arms. Robin walked up to the two of them and considered his answer. 

"What about your parents? Won’t they be worried about you?" Robin asked, still taking in the bizarre turn of events. 

"No they won't. They hate me and I don't want to go back. They'll hurt me if I go back." Aries exclaimed, hiding her face in Ravens leotard, a small hitch in her voice. Raven looked at the child and subconsciously stroked the blonde hair around her face. 

"We won’t make you go back if you don't want to. I won’t let anything bad happen to you Aries, I promise." Raven whispered, resting her cheek on Aries hair. Beast Boy's jaw literally dropped at that moment. Starfire was dumbstruck, and Robin was too, to be painfully honest. Cyborg just looked at Raven's maternal side shining through. It was beyond weird, yes, but it was still really sweet to know some of their ideas about Raven were wrong. 

"Okay Rae." Aries replied, looking at the teams stunned expression. Robin was the first to recover. 

"So, Aries, I guess you've just become the youngest Titan." he said hesitantly. 

"Can you control your powers?" Beast Boy asked, walking up to them.

"I can a bit." Aries admitted, looking at Raven for confirmation. 

"Well, I guess we should sort out your room then." Robin decided, leading Raven and Aries out. The sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon. The three remaining Titans looked at each other in total shock. 

"Raven really is full of the surprise." Starfire said hesitantly, looking at Cyborg and Beast Boy. 

"Yeah, who knew she could be so.... Un-Raven." he agreed, looking at the space where they left. 

"But it’s kinda sweet don’t ya think?" Cyborg asked rhetorically, smiling. 

 

 

"Okay Aries, I guess this is your room." Robin said, opening the door to a spare bedroom. It was night beside Raven's (at her insistence) and had a nice big window overlooking the ocean. Raven lowered Aries to the ground slowly so she could explore her room. 

"Raven," Robin hissed, pulling her away slightly. "This is weird. Aries is still a child, and you're acting like her mother." he admitted, lowering his voice. 

"She was being attacked by a man at least 3 times her age. Did you expect me to leave her there?" Raven retorted, not happy with the blame being pinned solely on her. 

"Of course not. But why didn't you call ahead when you got the all clear?" He demanded. 

"I didn't think I'd need to. We're Titans, which means we protect every innocent civilian." Raven replied testily. 

"Well if what you've told us is true, and she actually has powers, then what shall we do? Train her to be a Titan as well?" Robin asked, trying to get his point across. "She's only 6."

"We can’t include her in battles just now. Why don't we train her, accept her, and when she's old enough... Let her fight." Raven said softly, looking over at Aries. She was sitting on her bed, shifting her centre of gravity so she bounced slightly. A small giggle erupted from Aries and that brought out a smile from Raven. 

"Okay." Robin agreed softly, seeing the care and love for the small child in Ravens eyes. Softly, Robin padded over to Aries and knelt down. "Aries, welcome to the team." he smiled at her and Aries grinned. Robin produced a communicator from his belt and pressed it into her hand. 

"You're a Titan." Raven agreed, sitting down next to Aries, who promptly threw her arms around Raven waist. Raven enclosed the small girl and held her, like she was going to protect her from all the harm the world could throw at them. The sight warmed Robin’s heart and he couldn't resist smiling. 

"I'll go start breakfast. Waffles sound good?" Robin asked, straightening his legs and walking through the door, looking back over his shoulder. 


	2. 4 Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the four years lapse since Aries was accepted into the team, she's really grown into her Titan status. The team don't see her as younger because she's along the same hero level as any of them. In a way, they've all grown moer than you'd expect in those four short years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: this fic contains some Raven/Cyborg. (not actually romantically. it's more because they both take the role of Aries' parents and see each other accordingly.)

**4 YEARS LATER....**

 

"Rae, who's Malchior?" a young voice asked, walking into the living room with a heavy book in her hands. 

"Why do you ask Aries?" Raven replied, looking up from the book in her hands. 

"You said I could get a book from your room, and I found this one." the younger girl replied, showing the cover. "So who's Malchior?" she repeated. 

"A bad memory; and an even worse book." Raven answered, standing up and gently taking the book out of Aries hands. Raven clutched it to her chest and walked out to hide the book in her room. 

"Do you guys know who Malchior is?" Aries asked the rest of the team, who were scattered around doing various activities. 

"Yeah. It’s kinda a touchy subject with Raven. We don't bring it up." Cyborg explained, pausing his video game and turning around to face Aries. 

"But what happened, Cy? Why is it a touchy subject?" Aries persisted, jumping over the back of the sofa and landing beside the older boy. Cyborg lay the controller down beside him a sighed 

"Well, in the book you just found was a person. Not a character, a real person who had been cursed to stay trapped in the book. Now when Raven was reading the book, the man trapped inside; Malchior, took it as an opportunity to escape. He started talking to Raven, telling her that she wasn't creepy and that she was really special. He made Raven fall in love with him, so she would do anything to get him out the book. His plan almost worked. See, Malchior's story involved a nasty dragon named Rorex. But Rorex was actually the wizard and Malchior had changed the story so Raven thought it was fine to release him. In order to release him, Raven learned so many new spells she transformed into White Raven, and White Raven's very powerful. It was only thanks to her, and the curse that trapped him in the first place, that we were able to defeat him anyway. So you see, I don't think you should go near that book again. We would hate for anything like that to happen to you Aries." Cyborg explained, patting the young girl’s blonde hair in a fatherly way. Aries had listened to the story, enthralled, and wondered what it would be like of that had happened to her. 

"That's right." Raven agreed, entering the room soundlessly. "So you should always think twice about what book you read." Raven smiled at Cyborg's guilty expression. 

"Come on dude! Unpause the game, I'm so gonna beat you at this!" Beast Boy demanded, crouching on the sofa, clutching the controller in his hand in anticipation. 

"Rae, why did he take your heart?" Aries asked softly, sitting down on the floor next to where Raven was. She straightened her back and breathed deeply. 

"Malchior was a very bad man who manipulated me into doing what he wanted. I locked him away so he couldn't get out of the book and do the same to another girl." Raven explained, putting an arm around Aries and pulling her close. 

"You showed him Rae." she said, snuggling up to Raven, using her cloak as a blanket. 

"Yes I did Aries. That's what he gets for messing with me." Raven replied, smiling. 

"She's not kidding Aries," Beast Boy chipped in, looking over his shoulder at the younger girl. "You should see her when she's _really_ mad. Like when she fought Slade. Now _that_ was scary." he said, turning back to focus on the video game. 

"Who’s Slade?" Aries whispered, wondering if Beast Boy was just being stupid again. Raven frowned and raised her hand. Black matter formed around her fist and one of the chairs became coated in the same stuff. Robin and Starfire watched in shock as the chair flew through the air. Cyborg placed his arm on the back of the sofa and his fist transformed into the sonic cannon. A short blast erupted from his arm and shattered the chair. The splinters scattered themselves around the room and everyone was forced to shield themselves from the wreckage. Raven moved her cloak to act as a barrier in front of Aries. 

"You're going to have to get better than that Rae." Cyborg said, a bit of a tease in his voice, going back to his video game with ease. Aries peeked at the living room and started laughing at everyone else’s faces. 

"Shut up Cy. I only missed because you intervened." Raven replied, failing to hide the amusement in her voice. 

"And that’s what I'm here for." he said, a grin visible on his profile. 

"Really? I thought you were here to be the tech guy and to make us waffles." Raven countered, a small tease in her voice. 

"Well, that too." Cyborg considered, his grin getting wider. Raven rolled her eyes and stood up, extending a hand to help Aries to her feet. Aries looked from Raven to Cyborg and giggled innocently. Her laugh was greeted by a smile from Raven. 

Suddenly, the room was swathed in red light and an alarm sounded. 

"Trouble." Robin declared, unnecessarily. The team all jumped up and race out the door. Raven pulled her hood on and took a step towards the door. 

"Stay here Aries." she ordered, gesturing to the young girl to stay put. 

"Why Rae? I've been training for years! I know how to control my powers! I want to help!" Aries protested. Raven fought a silent battle in her head and sighed. 

"Alright, you can come. Just stay close to me at all times and be on your guard constantly." Raven ordered, leading Aries out to the scene. They flew out (Aries was perched on a flat disk made of Raven's soul self that she propelled through the air) and joined the rest of the team in fighting Cinderblock. 

"Sorry we're late." Raven called, wasting no time in joining in the fight.

"Hang on! WE?!" Beast Boy shouted, dodging a large chunk of street. 

"ARIES! Get back!" Cyborg demanded, blasting the incoming shrapnel away from her. 

"Sorry!" Aries said innocently, raising her palm to the concrete monster. Jagged streams of white energy were mixed into the continuous blasts of starbolts and Raven's soul self. Beast Boy's final shove as a T-Rex brought down Cinderblock. Raven sighed out of relief and picked up Aries, spinning her around in the air and perching the young girl on her hip. 

"So, how was that for your first mission?" Raven asked happily, slowly lowering herself to the ground. 

"It was amazing!" Aries shouted with glee, throwing her lanky arms around Raven's neck. 

"That’s more or less how it's always like." Raven told her, smiling at Aries. 

"Really?" Aries asked, her green eyes sparkling with joy and exuberance. 

"Pretty much." Raven promised her, hugging the small girl to her side. The rest of the team approached the pair, a mixture of emotions on their faces. 

"RAVEN! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Cyborg demanded, storming up to Raven, radiating anger in waves. "HOW COULD YOU BRING ARIES INTO THIS?!" 

"In case you hadn't noticed, Aries is old enough to fight with us. She's been training with us for 4 years. It’s about time she got a taste of what being a hero's really like!" Raven protested, lowering Aries back onto the ground, squaring up to Cyborg. 

"She's only 10! What if she was seriously injured?! How could you take that risk?!" he continued, fury showing in every line of his face. 

"It wasn't a risk because I knew nothing would happen to her! Have some faith in me Cyborg!" Raven shouted, pulling her hood down to look him in the eyes. 

"I have faith in you! But it was stupid to bring Aries along! She's too young!" Cyborg retorted, glaring down at Raven. 

"How old was Robin when he started fighting crime? He was 9! And Aries has been training for years alongside us! She's perfectly safe!" Raven countered, dark matter subconsciously forming around her fists. 

"Er guys?" Beast Boy said in a timid voice, trying to get their attention. 

"We're not talking about Robin though! We're talking about Aries! Robin had a mentor!" Cyborg shouted, his anger not budging. 

"And Aries has a team! She's had more training by a wider range of heroes than Robin did! You can't keep babying her!" Raven hollered, forcing herself to not fire at Cyborg. 

"That's rich coming from you! I'm just trying to keep her safe!" Cyborg exclaimed. 

"Guys..." Beast Boy tried again. 

"She is safe!" Raven protested 

"She'd be safer back at Titans Tower!"

"IF IT WAS UP TO YOU, SHE'D NEVER LEAVE TITANS TOWER!" Raven shouted, sizing up to the cybernetic boy. 

"WELL AT LEAST I'M BEING RESPONSIBLE!"

"I AM RESPONSIBLE! SOMETIMES ARIES JUST NEEDS SOME FREEDOM!" 

"FREEDOM?! FIGHTING A BAD GUY IS NOT FREEDOM! BRINGING A 10 YEAR OLD TO A FIGHT IS A SUICIDE MISSION!"

"I WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING TO HARM ARIES, YOU KNOW THAT!" 

"DUDES!!!! Seriously!" Beast Boy shouted, standing between Cyborg and Raven. 

"WHAT?!" they shouted in unison, glaring at Beast Boy. He pointed to Aries and both Cyborg and Raven lost all their anger in less than a second. Aries had broken down on the street, sobbing her heart out. Robin and Starfire were kneeling down beside her, offering Aries comfort. Starfire was speaking soothing words to the young hero, while stroking her blonde hair. Robin had his hand on her shoulder, silently comforting her. 

"Aries." Raven breathed, her heart breaking at the sight. Cyborg walked over and knelt down, wrapping his arms around her. 

"Aries, hush... Don't cry. What are you upset about?" he said in a very soft, fatherly tone. 

"Rae... Didn't want... Me to come..." she said through her onslaught of tears. "She... Wanted me... To stay at the... Tower." 

"Hush, its okay Aries." Cyborg continued, feeling the small girls arms enclose around his neck. 

"Then why were you and Rae shouting at each other? I wanted to join the fight. It was my idea, not hers. Please don’t be mad at each other." Aries said, her tears staining her pale cheeks. 

"It’s okay Aries. I’m not angry anymore. Stop crying honey." he said, gently wiping away the tears from her face. Raven walked over and knelt down opposite Cyborg. 

"Aries." she said softly, stroking a small section of blonde hair. "We aren’t really mad at each other. Cyborg was just worried about you. That's what we do. It’s our job to worry about you, to keep you safe." Raven promised, joining the hug, her voice soft and caring. Robin and Starfire had backed away and were now dealing with locking Cinderblock away. Beast Boy was standing next to them, only half paying attention. He kept casting glances at the three huddled together. They were like a small, make-shift family. Raven was the mum, Cyborg was the dad, and Aries was their daughter. All the Titans were sort of like a family, but you could easily mistake those three as an actual (if a bit miss-matched) family. They all really cared for each other, you could really tell with how they interacted. Raven and Cyborg really did love Aries, and she loved her 'parents'. It was that mutual care between those three particular Titans that Beast Boy couldn't get over. 

"Come on kiddo; let’s go back to the Tower for waffles." Cyborg said when he saw Robin and Starfire approaching. Aries nodded, her eyes still slightly red. Cyborg helped her up and lifted her up onto his shoulder. Raven stood next to Cyborg, keeping a wary eye on Aries, paranoid she was going to fall. 


	3. Ambush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A clear night sky is always followed by a cold morning...

"Couldn’t sleep either?" Beast Boy asked, sitting down on the roof next to Aries. 

"Nope. Why couldn't you?" she asked, her blonde hair plaited down her back, out of the way. Her old, faded pyjamas wrinkled as she hugged her knees and were ruffled by the slight wind. 

"Hey, I'm half nocturnal." He replied, stretching his arms out in front of him. 

"Yeah. It has nothing to do with that scary movie you watched, does it?" Aries asked, smiling sarcastically at her teammate. 

"Not at all." Beast Boy replied, returning her smile. It was hard for anyone to see Aries smile and not smile back. "So what's keeping you up?" he looked at her sideways. Aries turned her face away and sighed, looking out over the ocean. 

"I just hate it when they fight." she said softly, tucking her knees closer to her chest. He didn't need to ask who 'they' was. 

"I know the feeling." Beast Boy agreed, focusing on a single star over the horizon. 

"I just... They only fight about _me_. The biggest fights they've ever had have been over me. Today; Rae wanted me to stay here, but I persuaded her to let me go. Then after we _defeat_ Cinderblock, Cyborg has a go at Rae for bringing me along. I know they only fight because they care, but it makes me feel so bad. What if..." Aries explained, looking over to Beast Boy, trying to find the right words. 

"One of those fights breaks them apart?" Beast Boy suggested. Aries nodded, her face sober. "I know how you feel. Steve and Rita used to fight over how he treated me and I hated it. That's one of the reasons I left the Doom Patrol: I was afraid I would ruin their marriage." He confided in her, leaning back so he could look up at the sky. 

"It’s just hard. My actual parents didn't care and now my surrogate parents care too much. There's no balance!" Aries said in despair. She lay back on the roof and looked up at the stars sewn into the heavens. Beast Boy put his back fully against the roof; his head just touched Aries'. They lay silent, watching the universe above them. Aries raised an arm up and traced a few stars. 

"Look it’s Aries. The constellation I was named after." she said, laying her arms over her stomach. 

"It's beautiful." he said, a smile on his face. Aries looked at him and smiled too. 

"Beast Boy?" Aries asked in a small voice. 

"Yes." he replied, propping himself up on his elbow. 

"Never mind." Aries whispered, changing her mind. 

"No what is it Aries? Come on, you can trust me." Beast Boy prompted, looking over at her. 

"Okay, what was Raven like before she found me? You've always seemed so surprised when Rae hugs me, so what was she like?" Aries rolled over and studied his expression. 

"Well... Raven was like a gothic, older sister. She liked her space and read books all the time. Her room was her sanctuary and no one was allowed in, for fear of death. Raven was solitary, but you could always count on her for anything in a fight. She always needed a barrier up to stop people becoming too attached. Then her birthday came and she changed. Raven was still elusive and quiet, but she opened up to us more and acted kinder. But not really open like me or Star. Open in her own way. That's why it’s a shock to see her smiling all the time and letting you in her room or hugging you at every opportunity." Beast Boy explained, easily recalling every sarcastic comment Rae ever said to him. 

"I've only ever know her as that. She's like my mum. I think of Raven as my mum, because she's cared for me when I had no one else. It’s the same with Cyborg. To me, he's my father. And it kills me to see them fight, because I don't want to lose either of them. I couldn't bear to lose any of you." Aries admitted, shifting on the concrete beneath her. 

"Aries, what were your parents like?" Beast Boy asked timidly, searching the heavens above for stars he could name. He knew it wasn't his place, but the question bugged him.

"They were cruel. They knew I was special, and they abused it. They knew a man and they made a deal with him. The man wanted an 'apprentice', one who had powers, and my parents knew _just_ the girl. They tried to sell me to him. My dad almost killed me trying to force me to leave with the man. I couldn't see his face; he has this mask on, which only showed one eye. Anyway, I accidently shot my dad in the arm with the energy stream, and I ran. When Rae found me, I was fighting one of _his_ men. That's why I refused to go back. If I returned, my parents would sell me to him, and I wouldn’t be able to escape. Not a second time." Aries admitted, turning her face to see Beast Boy's reaction. All the blood drained from his face (which looked peculiar because of his green complexion) and he sat up sharply. 

"Wait, the man wore a mask, which showed only one eye. Was the mask half copper?" Beast Boy inquired, an unfamiliar note of urgency hid in voice. 

"I think so... Yeah it was." Aries confirmed, closing her eyes to picture the man. She sat up as well and looked at Beast Boy curiously. 

"This is bad." he hissed to himself. 

"Garfield, why is it bad?" Aries demanded. 

"That man was Slade; the Titans worst enemy." Beast Boy explained, his eyes wide. 

"Very good Beast Boy. How clever of you to make the connection." a droning, adult voice said from behind the two heroes. Beast Boy jumped up and stood in front of Aries. 

"Slade. What do you want?" Beast Boy demanded. 

"My apprentice. I made a deal with her father and a deal's a deal." Slade said walking forwards. "Hello my dear, remember me?" he asked, looking at Aries. 

"Leave her alone!" Beast Boy demanded, practically growling. 

"You won't take me! I won’t let you!" Aries shouted. 

"Now my dear, I do think that's out of your control." Slade replied, walking continuously forwards. Beast Boy morphed into a T-Rex and charged at Slade, gripping him in his jaws and throwing Slade over the rooftop. 

"Come on Aries," Beast Boy urged, dragging Aries down the stairwell back to the living room. 

"Where are the others? Shouldn't they be up by now?" Aries asked, running down the halls as fast as her body would let her. 

"I don’t know." Beast Boy replied, barging through the door to the living room. A horrifying sight met their eye. The Slade-bots has got their team mates already. Starfire and Robin were being detained by the robots. Starfire had a blindfold on to stop her from shooting them with lasers from her eyes. Raven and Cyborg were unconscious, held up by their arms. The Slade-bots held them so they were a foot off the ground. 

"Oh no." Aries whispered. 

"Beast Boy, Aries! Run get out of here!" Robin shouted, struggling against his captors. 

"I don’t think that will be necessary Robin." Slade voice sounded from the doorway. Aries spun round and raised a palm towards Slade. 

"Leave or I'll blast you to oblivion." she threatened. 

"Uh uh uh, not so fast my dear. You seem to forget I have your team at my mercy. If you come quietly, they'll be released unharmed. Your choice dear." he said, standing tall with his arms behind his back. 

"Fine, just don't hurt them." Aries agreed, a small plead in her voice. 

"Aries, no!" Beast Boy exclaimed. Slade laughed and ordered his minions to release them. The bots holding Starfire and Robin let them go. 

"Move out." Slade ordered. 

"Wait! What about them?" Aries demanded, panic threatening to take over. 

"I said your team. I said nothing about your family." Slade said, resting his hand on her shoulder. "Move out!" he ordered again. Beast Boy ran up to Aries and hissed in her ear. 

"Don't put on any uniform." he whispered, obviously warning her. Slade picked Beast Boy up by his collar and threw him over to where Robin and Starfire were. The three remaining Titans could only watch as the family was lead away. 


End file.
